Remember, Remember, The 5th of November

Day 2,542, 16:43 • Published in Nigeria Italy • by Shurhuq

As i still have to complete the missions about aricles I 'll take this opportunity as today is 5th of November and share with you some facts about Guy Fawkes.



For many of us, Guy Fawkes Day is something out of the movie V for Vendetta. But this British holiday is a fun, spirited celebration that commemorates a dramatic moment in English history. Here are five things you need to remember, remember about the Fifth of November:

Guy Fawkes was a real person.

Guy Fawkes, also known as Guido, was born in 1570 and grew up in York, in the north of England. His father was a Protestant, but he died young and Fawkes’s mom remarried a Catholic. Fawkes converted and later fought in the Eighty Years War, taking the side of the Catholic Spanish over the Protestant Dutch.

The Gunpowder Plot

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, as it became known, was the brainchild of Robert Catesby, a well-to-do gentleman of Warwickshire. Together with Guy Fawkes and three other plotters, they formulated a plan to strike at the opening of parliament on 5 November. With the king dead, they would put James' daughter, Elizabeth, on the throne, returning Britain to the Catholic fold.
Fawkes posed as a servant called John Johnson, and began sourcing gunpowder. The plotters rented a cellar under the House of Lords and packed it with enough explosive to kill the king and the most powerful men in the land as they sat in the room above.

The 'Monteagle Letter' betrays the plotters

As the plot neared fruition, something happened which would prove its downfall. Lord Monteagle, the brother-in-law of one of the plotters, received an anonymous letter which warned against attending Parliament for the opening.
Monteagle passed the letter to Robert Cecil, who decided to wait before taking action. The plotters had no cause to believe their plan was in danger.

Guy Fawkes is arrested

On 4 November 1605, Cecil ordered searches of the whole of the Houses of Parliament, and Fawkes was arrested. He was found dressed for a swift exit with spurs on his boots.
Fawkes endured two days of torture in the Tower of London before confessing all. It was enough to buy the remaining plotters time to escape.
Some of them desperately attempted to instigate the planned Catholic uprising, but to no avail. The plotters made their final stand at Holbeche House in Staffordshire, where several, including Catesby, died in a shoot-out with the king's men. The survivors were taken back to London for trial.

Torture and execution

Over the course of the next few weeks, the surviving plotters and many others were interrogated. On 30 and 31 January 1606, eight people, including Fawkes, were executed by being hanged, drawn and quartered. Three more were executed in the following months. Even those who had perished at Holbeche House were exhumed and decapitated.

Guy Fawkes Day is now known for its bonfires.

Guy Fawkes Day, which is also called Bonfire Night, is usually marked by lighting big bonfires and burning effigies. The effigies typically depict Fawkes, but throughout the years Brits have burned effigies of unpopular politicians, coaches of losing sports teams, and other public enemies. Local pubs may host bonfire parties with live music and food, and it’s also popular to set off fireworks.


Today, Guy Fawkes isn’t always seen as a villain.

Although the original purpose of Guy Fawkes Day was to remember Fawkes as a villain and caution others not to follow in his footsteps, the 21st century has turned him into a kind of folk icon. In 2002, he was voted #30 on a BBC poll of the “Greatest British Heroes,” and is sometimes toasted as “the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions.” Outside of Britain, the Guy Fawkes masks that were seen in V for Vendetta have also been worn by Anonymous and Occupy protesters; but unlike Halloween, which takes place a few days earlier, Guy Fawkes Day isn't typically celebrated with costumes or masks.

Sources http://www.bbc.co.uk/history and http://www.historytoday.com